


Old Traditions

by fiction_is_magic



Category: Magic Kaito
Genre: DCMK Secret Santa, DCMK Secret Santa 2020, First Kiss, M/M, Mistletoe, Star Trek AU, starfleet saguru, where did he get mistletoe? no one knows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28353720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiction_is_magic/pseuds/fiction_is_magic
Summary: When science officer Hakuba encounters something odd in the doorway to engineering, chief engineer Kuroba decides to educate him in matters of old traditions and his own affections.
Relationships: Hakuba Saguru/Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Old Traditions

**Author's Note:**

> Happy holidays to mimsiical! This was done for the DCMK 2020 Secret Santa.

Obscene? Loud? Garish? What was the word Saguru was looking for? The longer he stared at the offending object, the harder he pondered the leafy perpetrator. At the very least, he knew a plant when he saw one. Part of his duties as a science officer was to know and study these types of things--if they were hazardous, and so on. But clearly someone had a reason for putting the plant on display so prominently. He hoped, anyways, that any of the crew on this ship would be smart enough to not bring an unknown plant aboard. “Oh, why the sour face Hakuba? Didn’t your mother ever teach you that if you aren’t careful it could stay that way?”

Ah, obnoxious. That was the word.

Saguru tore his eyes away from the greenery that had already taken up far too much of his time. 10.37 seconds too much—not that anyone besides him was counting. He turned to confront the owner of a smug grin, that the crew of the --- had come to either revere or dread. 

“I’m trying to identify this piece of flora, and determine why someone felt the need to display it in the doorway of engineering. Perhaps the chief engineer could do his job and keep the entrance to his division free of clutter.”

Kaito sauntered closer to Saguru, not even attempting to disguise his mischievous intent, the red of his uniform starkly contrasted against the nearly flawless interior of the –‘s metal walls.

“Oh, you don’t know what that is? Kekeke, looks like I know something our oh-so-smart science officer doesn’t!”

Saguru’s eyebrows furrowed, a migraine already beginning to form. “At the very least this ‘oh-so-smart science officer’ knows that it’s not in regulation.”

Kaito was behind Saguru now, pushing into his personal space as he reached up to lean his elbow on the blonde’s shoulder, making their height difference blatantly apparent. Saguru could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, and his heart begin to race, even at such a seemingly innocent gesture, even as he tried his best to appear annoyed. He had gone through great lengths to keep his affections for his crewmate a secret, but even still, his body seemed to betray him at every possible opportunity. And with how perceptive Kaito was, it was a miracle he hadn’t caught on to yet. At least, not that he had ever mentioned. 

“Oh please, if we did everything to the letter, there wouldn’t be anything fun to do around here.”

“One could argue that you are here to do a job, not for fun.” Saguru said, rather stiffly.

“Aw, but you would get so bored if I didn’t give you something to fuss over every now and then!” Of course, Kaito was right, but Saguru had no intention of letting him know that; his ego was already inflated.

“Hmm, well, at the very least you can tell me what exactly it is that I’m ‘fussing’ over.”

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked, my good sir!”

With a fluid motion, Kaito slid past Saguru so that they were both standing on either side of the doorway to engineering. Had it been Saguru’s imagination? No, no, Kaito’s hand lingered for a fraction of a second too long, sliding down his arm in a deliberate fashion. But before Saguru’s brain could catch up to what that could possibly mean, Kaito pointed upwards, redirecting his attention back to what had facilitated this interaction in the first place. 

The offending plant seemed suspended with no visible support in the center of the doorframe, doubtlessly a result of a trick learned for Kaito’s other job. A red ribbon held together several sprigs of a green leafy stem in a fan-like arrangement, which contained several small white berries in it, almost like lights poking out from the sea of green. Oddly, the plant seemed to have no discernable odor. It was strangely difficult to identify, and if Saguru hadn’t been examining it so closely, he might have mistaken it for plastic.

“Now, can you tell me what time of year it is?” Before Saguru could even open his mouth, Kaito’s expression shifted to one of mild annoyance. “Wait, no, don’t even answer that, you’ll be super literal. How about this, can you tell me what season it is?”

Saguru pondered that for a moment. Seasons weren’t really a thing out in space, or even something the ship kept track of. But, back on Earth, he supposed it would be around winter.

“It’s winter.”

“Correct! This little thing just so happens to be an old winter tradition on Earth, so I thought it would be nice to brighten up these bland halls with.”

“Alright then, that’s what it’s for, you still haven’t said what it is.”

“It’s called mistletoe.”

Mistletoe. Saguru made a note to do some research into it, as he should probably know more information about something from his own home planet. He turned his attention back to Kaito, whose expression was back to that of an impish grin.

“And that’s all it’s for, then? Just a decoration to liven up your workspace?”

Somehow that grin had managed to become even wider. “Mm, well there is more to it than just looking pretty, just like someone else I know.” Kaito’s arm, previously pointing at the plant, moved to rest on the doorframe, allowing Kaito to lean in and look up at Saguru more obviously. 

Saguru couldn’t help the flush on his face as Kaito stared into his eyes. Perhaps he hadn’t been so good at hiding his feelings. And perhaps it wasn’t a delusion to think that this could be a reciprocation of his affections.

Saguru cleared his throat and attempted to speak like a normal person, although he was still unable to keep a nervous tinge from his voice. “And, what exactly would that other use be?”

“Well, the real tradition is that whenever two people stand underneath it together, they do this.”

The pair seemed to have instinctually gravitated towards one another while Kaito was speaking, and when he finished his sentence, Kaito leaned up and closed that final bit of distance between them. 

When had Saguru leaned down to shorten the distance? He didn’t know and frankly he didn’t care. Instead he simply reveled in the moment that he only expected to exist in his daydreams. He got lost in the kiss, stopped counting the seconds and allowed himself to give his whole attention to the person in front of him, for once in his life. The ship was gone, as were their responsibilities—it was just the two of them, together in space, feeling and being felt. And for once in his life, Saguru didn’t know how long something had lasted as he and Kaito reluctantly broke the kiss to breathe, refusing to widen the gap between them more than was absolutely necessary.

Kaito was the first to break their silence, chuckling quietly. “Well, thank you for indulging me and livening up my workday.”

Saguru paused for a moment, before a smirk of his own formed. “You know, it still isn’t in regulation. But I think I know a place we can put it where that won’t be an issue.”

“Oh ho ho, I always knew you were a smart one! Well, go on then, lead the way.”

Saguru reached his hand out and placed it over Kaito’s, not quite surprised to feel the waxy leaves sticking out from between his fingers. He could’ve put more effort into figuring out how Kaito had grabbed the plant without his notice, but all he cared about in that moment was hiding Kaito away, somewhere where it truly would be just the two of them. And with one last kiss, the two vacated the doorway, Saguru looking up at where the mistletoe once hung to ensure all evidence of their encounter was gone, so that it would stay theirs and theirs alone.


End file.
